|
|
Central African Republic: 15 killed as petrol tanker explodes
Mon. September 29, 2008 04:43 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. -
(SomaliNet) At least 15 people were killed and dozens badly burnt in the Central African Republic when a petrol tanker that had overturned exploded as villagers tried to salvage fuel from it.
Media reports say the truck, carrying petrol and diesel oil, overturned on Saturday after blowing a tyre near the village of Gbahon, 75km north of the capital, Bangui. The driver and his assistant escaped unhurt.
However, dozens of local villagers, mostly women and children, rushed up to the overturned truck to try to siphon off its load of fuel.
"We warned them in vain to move away because they were in danger. But they didn't understand and even threatened us, and it was two of us against more than 60 men, women and children.
"And then suddenly there was an explosion when they started to open one of the stopcocks," driver Aboubakar Camara said.
Rescue workers said more than 30 people with serious burns were evacuated to Bangui, while those with less serious injuries were taken to the nearby town of Boali.
"It's a dreadful sight that I've seen. Ignorance and poverty are the causes of this," said local politician Frederic Dambelle Nguillet, who was one of the first to arrive on the scene. - Reuters
News Category: Africa
Latest Headlines
|
News 
